PCB Repair

**xhazn** · 04-23-2005, 09:21 PM

I snapped a portion of a circuit board to my receiver. I'm wondering if anybody has ever reconnected the tiny, light-green connection paths on a PCB. Does anyone have any suggestions? I could wire metal node, to metal node, but that in itself is difficult, let alone the excessive amount of wires touching one another [if they're unprotected]. I've broken about 20 connections. Are any soldering kits small enough to drop metal on 1/32 of an inch? :x Thanks a lot for any help. This board is not available for purchasing until August, according to Pioneer. Thus far, I've stripped each green path to its copper, hoping to fabricate a repair plan. Maybe I could use copper tape?

**Scouse Monkey** · 04-23-2005, 09:24 PM

i snapped an intercom phone in half by hitting it witha rudby ball i drop kicked when iw as in halls. I soldered the circuit board back together using pieces of wire and just blobs of solder in some places and it worked better than it did originally.

It can be done but check your board is not multilayered. if it is you are screwed!

**Altimat** · 04-23-2005, 11:12 PM

Typically you follow the trace back to the nearest solder pad in either direction (confirm with meter), and solder on a jumper wire there.

**xhazn** · 04-23-2005, 11:44 PM

Pad? You mean the metal nodes on the board? Alright... sounds good. Whatever works, I hope :]

**Chris31** · 04-24-2005, 01:13 AM

Glue the board together and scratch about 2mm off each end of the broken track.

You now have 4mm exposed copper track. Just put a blob of solder on them and you are all done. Make sure the solder have bridged the broken track properly.

**Chris31** · 04-24-2005, 01:21 AM

Broken track after glueing the board together

----------||------------
----------||------------

After scratching off 2mm off the solder resist to expose the copper track

------:----||----:------
------:----||----:------

After bridging the tracks with a blob of solder

------|||||||||||------
------|||||||||||------

Ermm something like that.

**xhazn** · 04-24-2005, 01:28 AM

Thanks. I'll try that. But... I need to protect other paths while I solder one. Tape will burn, won't it? These paths are very close to one another, and I'm having a few doubts. I may solder the thick ones together, and then the thin ones I may wire the corresponding nodes together with a wire. But yeah... I'm wondering if I can protect the other paths while I solder one? The solder will probably drip onto the other paths because it's so close.

**kiltjim** · 04-24-2005, 01:30 AM

There is a PCB repair pen. I've tried to use it once to repair very small traces. It worked, but I never trusted the board after that. You could try that. I don't know how thin the traces are though. Just my .02

**Chris31** · 04-24-2005, 01:41 AM

Originally Posted by xhazn

Thanks. I'll try that. But... I need to protect other paths while I solder one. Tape will burn, won't it? These paths are very close to one another, and I'm having a few doubts. I may solder the thick ones together, and then the thin ones I may wire the corresponding nodes together with a wire. But yeah... I'm wondering if I can protect the other paths while I solder one? The solder will probably drip onto the other paths because it's so close.

How close are the tracks? Even of they are 1mm aparts trying to bridge them with a blob of solder is not that easy unless you really put enough.

You can try masking tape, they burn abit but atleast the solder cant stick to it.

Do make sure you glue the board properly though. Im asuming its SRPB board (those brown kinda board, not the green fibreglass type)

**xhazn** · 04-24-2005, 01:53 AM

It's green, if color matters :]. The tracks are very thin, but I have no ruler or comparable object. The replacement board isn't available until August, according to the Pioneer website. That PCB pen sounds very tempting. I just want this thing to work again, I miss this audio/video receiver.